


An Accumulation of Things

by darlingsdream



Series: a mixer of klance one shots [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Childhood Friends, Confessions, Eventual Romance, First Kiss, Gay Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron) Has ADHD, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:07:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23252950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingsdream/pseuds/darlingsdream
Summary: “How rude!” Allura snorted in laughter. And suddenly, it was like something clicked in Allura’s head. Her eyes widened, and out of habit, she clicked her tongue.“Tell your crush you like me! See what they say! Maybe they like you too and you don’t know it because they’re scared to make the first move! But- if they know you may like someone else, maybe that’ll be the push they need?”----In which Allura convinces Lance to tell his crush that he likes Allura to see how he'd react.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: a mixer of klance one shots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1520747
Comments: 10
Kudos: 279





	An Accumulation of Things

It was an accumulation of things, Lance thought, that brought him to where he was right now. Allura was sitting across from him on the couch of his parent’s living room, phone in hand with a bowl of buttery popcorn on her thighs. She was talking to him animatedly, the phone in her hand being tossed about as she spoke because of course, she was the type that spoke with her hands.

It was a Saturday night and as to Lance’s sister Rachel’s request, Allura had been invited over for the seventh weekend in a row to join in the “Mc’Clain family weekend.” Right now, Rachel was sprawled across the couch asleep between the two, leaving the two alone with a cabinet of Disney movies, five disregarded bowls of popcorn and a whole lot of teenage drama that would make even _To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before_ look more normal than their lives.

“Boys are dense,” Allura explained, finally dropping her phone to her side so she could make a more exaggerated hand gesture to the side. “You could probably hit them with a whole: Hey! I really like you! And they would still be running to their homeboys asking what they thought they meant by that.” She dipped her hand into the bowl of popcorn, shoving a handful into her mouth, dropping a few pieces back into the bowl as she did.

Lance could feel the way his eyebrows arched at her comment. “That sounds more like girls,” he commented. “Remember when Rolo told Nyma he liked her with flowers and she still texted us asking what we thought it meant?” 

It was a funny moment, thinking back on it, but definitely one of Nyma’s worst moments.

“That’s completely different,” Allura huffed. “Nyma is like, level ten clueless. She just overthinks too much. Now, guys, guys overthink a lot. Don’t you overthink, like, about everything?” 

“That is an invalid point, I overthink everything, it comes with ADHD,” Lance pointed out, but, he knew he didn’t need to. Allura knew everything there was to know about Lance because she knew everything there was to know about Rachel. It was a twin thing between Lance and Rachel, they were essentially the same person, just different genders.

“Boys and girls can overthink just the same, I think,” Lance tacked on, and at that, Allura gave him a simple shrug and continued on eating her popcorn.

Their conversation had started not too long ago, had their movie just ended. Allura had made a sly comment about something Rachel had brought up in regards to Lance’s crush, and from there, it spiraled.

_“So, I heard from a birdie your crush is someone we all know, huh?”_

A simple reply was all she got at that.

_“Boys are oblivious, you know?”_

Allura’s socked foot brushed up against his own, capturing his attention. She was halfway through another mouthful of popcorn, her eyebrows raised with a comical expression. “How long has it been?” She spoke between pained swallows. “Y’know, since you’ve had a crush on mystery boy.”

Lance took the bait on that one, and he took a moment to think about it.

The Lance Mc’Clain had the world’s worst crush. Not in the sense his crush was an awful person because that right there was the farthest thing from the truth. He meant it was the worst type of crush you could have, because of course, like a plot pulled right out of a movie, he had to go and fall for someone he knew as a childhood friend.

 _Keith Kogane_ , the boy down the street.

The two met back at the age of five on the soccer field of the local rec center. An unlikely rivalry between the two stirred when it came to fighting for playing time as the two grew older into the respective early pre-teen years, and from there, a friendship.

Thinking on it, Lance couldn’t exactly place a time in his head where he would say his crush started, because to him, there wasn’t really a moment when it just popped out at him that he might’ve liked the quiet boy that would ride his bike down the street to see him every day during the summer.

It took him until junior year to accept it if that was anything.

“I realized it was a serious crush a year ago,” he answered Allura finally.

It was the middle of fall, right after the homecoming football game. He was standing in the student section of the stands when an unlikely injury happened on the field. By unlikely, he means Keith got launched across the field by an angry lineman who had had beef with Keith before in past games. He collided headfirst with a defenseman and landed in a rather still heap on the grass.

He remembered the student section screaming in retaliation as two refs and one of the coaches ran over to him when he’d failed to get up after a few seconds. He felt his stomach drop, and his face must’ve paled because within the next moment Hunk, his best friend, was grabbing at his shoulder, saying Keith was going to be okay.

He remembers exactly what was going through his head at that moment too. What if Keith was seriously injured? What if he wasn’t going to get up? What if the injury was really serious and he couldn’t continue playing? What if after what if after what if. The thing was, he knew Keith was strong because he truly was. He wasn’t scrawny like Lance was with long limbs, he was a bit shorter but definitely more muscular. He could handle his own against a two-hundred-pound check to the side, he’d seen it before during winter-seasoned hockey games, but it never eased the worries he felt when he would see Keith get jabbed at during games.

He remembered the stands going quiet when Keith wasn’t getting up. He remembers watching the rest of the football team take a knee when five minutes passed. He remembers the way his legs started moving on their own when he saw the coach calling out for Keith’s family.

_Because Keith’s family was most certainly not there that night._

His parents were good people, but they were busy people, both caught up in their own busy work. They would come to some games if they could, but it was a rare occasion. His mother was a cop after all, and his father was a firefighter.

_Typical Koganes._

He remembers no one questioning him and Hunk as they walked onto the field in quiet shock. He remembered the way the coach gave him a confused look before straightening up and walking over to the two.

_“Are Keith’s parents here?”_

_“No, they’re not,”_ Hunk answered him with ease. _“We’re family friends, we can call his parents.”_

 _“That sounds like a good idea. They’re getting the ambulance in the front ready. He got hit pretty hard.”_ The coach’s voice was quiet and whispered, a starking contrast from the yelling he did during the game. It almost sent chills through Lance’s spine.

He remembers pulling his phone out and dialing up Keith’s mom. It took three calls for her to answer.

 _“Lance? I’m sorry, I was just able to slip away from duty. Is everything okay?”_ Krolia’s voice was soft and smooth. She sounded calm, quite different from what Lance was feeling as he watched the paramedics huddle at Keith’s side.

_“Hi, Mrs. Kogane. Um... Keith got hit pretty hard at the game tonight, he’s knocked out right now. The school said he should get checked out at the hospital and they suggested you come down.”_

There was a long pause.

_“I’m on my way now.”_

He remembers when Krolia arrived and Keith was just waking up. She jogged onto the field, dressed in her full cop uniform. He remembers the way she ran up to him first, gathered him in her arms and squeezed him before letting go and dropping to her son’s side. 

His heart ached at that moment, and he still can’t say who exactly for.

 _“I’m fine, I’m fine,”_ Keith tried to say, but it came out mumbled because the wind had been knocked out of his chest. When he tried to sit up, he let out a gasp, falling onto his elbows.

The paramedics were persistent from then, helping him remove his helmet and pick up his limp right arm.

Sweat clung to Keith’s forehead and his hair was pushed back into a ponytail, a few strands sticking out here and there. There was blackface paint smudged across his sweat-stained cheeks as well. Even though he was sweaty and covered in face paint, Lance couldn’t help the quiet thought that provided at the back of his mind.

_He was still so handsome._

It struck him then, on the football field of Altea High, at seven-twenty p.m. on October seventeenth, twenty nine-teen, with two-thousand eyes on him, that he had a crush on his childhood best friend.

And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

When they loaded Keith onto the stretcher, Keith finally looked over to Lance and Hunk. His pupils were dilated, and he was squinting. There was no way his contacts hadn’t been knocked out.

 _“Lance?”_ He had called out, cradling his right arm in his lap.

 _“Right here buddy,”_ Lance tried to call out as reassuringly as he could as he followed at the paramedics’ side with Keith’s mom.

 _“Okay,”_ Keith breathed out. He had let his head rest on the stretcher finally, closing his eyes. _“Good.”_

 _“Keith, you’re going to need to try to stay awake for us if you can do that.”_ One of the paramedics started instructing him as they got off the field.

The crowd of students from the student section began cheering as they left the football stadium, a sign they were praying for the recovery of a fallen teammate. Lance was glad when Hunk grabbed onto his arm, ushering them out with the paramedics.

He knew the rest of the game would be messy. 

_You don’t just walk away with hurting a team’s star player and get away with it._

Lance felt sick to his stomach when he parted from Keith and his mother, promising to meet them at the hospital. He watched as Keith finally opened his eyes again, groggily mumbling something to the paramedics as they loaded him into the ambulance.

_A concussion, fractured arm, and some bruised ribs._

He was lucky it wasn’t worse.

He remembered having to drag Keith’s bag to his classes for him. He remembered the way Keith huffed in frustration when he was told he was out for the rest of the season. He remembered the anger and sadness that lingered in his friend’s face the rest of the season as they sat on the stands together through the rest of the games.

“I think I liked him for a while before that,” Lance elaborated. “I was in denial, you know, the whole realizing I wasn’t the straightest person out there, and it wasn’t an ideal crush,” he further spoke. “It still isn’t an ideal crush.”

“Why not ideal?”

“God, like he would ever like me back,” he laughed. He entertained the idea that Keith would ever be gay, let alone like him in return.

“Lance, you’re literally the ideal package,” Allura protested. “If I wasn’t so caught up with the blondie from theater, I’d be all over you just like the rest of our school. You’re everything someone could ask for! You’re the most caring friend, you can cook, you can speak a romantic language! You also play the damn piano and guitar, hell, if his boy doesn’t like you back I’ll date you!”

It was hard not to be amused by that offer. 

“As much as I appreciate the offer, I’ll have to pass on that,” Lance laughed, hitting his socked foot against her’s once again.

“How rude!” Allura snorted in laughter. And suddenly, it was like something clicked in Allura’s head. Her eyes widened, and out of habit, she clicked her tongue.

“Tell your crush you like me! See what they say! Maybe they like you too and you don’t know it because they’re scared to make the first move! But- if they know you may like someone else, maybe that’ll be the push they need?”

_How-_

“And if they don’t like me, that will be really awkward because they’ll just be really supportive. They’ll be supportive either way because I know for sure this guy is way too scared to ever make the first move. But what if they like me, and I mean just like a little bit here, and I tell them I like you and I scare them away!” 

There was no way that Allura’s little scheme would work. Keith was quiet about his crushes, or at least Lance believed so because it wasn’t like Keith ever mentioned having one, like ever, in the past thirteen years they’ve known each other. If he told him, he would probably be like, oh that’s cool, and leave it at that!

“Maybe they’re not one with their words, but are they one with their actions?”

Was it weird that Lance just knew exactly what she meant by that?

She was right at that, Keith wasn’t good with his words for the most part. He showed his emotions through his actions. When he was upset or frustrated, he’d sigh, huff, and have the smallest of pouty lips. He’d take the steam off at the gym, running until his legs burned. If he cared for you, he’d show you. He’d offer to buy coffee in the morning, or ride his bike to hang out at three in the morning because you’re bored and anxious and he understands what it feels like to be both. When he’s upset, he gets anxious. He’ll tap his feet and fiddle with whatever he can get his hands on.

“I mean, yeah.”

“What if he acts mad around me! Then we’ll have an answer, boom.”

“Allura, I just don’t think that’s going to work.”

“Is it going to hurt if you try?”

“Yes! Because he’ll think I like you instead of him!”

“If that’s the case, and he shows no jealousy toward me, then you can tell him you were wrong and you don’t like me. Simple.” She raised an eyebrow, as a “DUH!” facial expression.

Her plan almost seemed reasonable.

_Almost._

“Okay, I’ll try it.”

He pulled his phone out from somewhere between the couch cushions. From her side view, he could see Allura fisting the air with a handful of popcorn. He rolled his eyes, stifling a laugh because it was so Allura of her, and opened his texts with Keith.

 **KOGANE** **  
** **rachel has a friend over**

**again**

_The same one she has over every weekend?_

**yes**

**and now**

**i am being roped into movie night**

**girl movie night**

**help me**

_You’ll live, Lance_

_Never pictured you to be the type of person to not want to be invited to a girl’s sleepover_

**its my sister**

**and her long term best friend**

**not fun**

_Okay, point there_

_Tell me how it goes_

**right**  
Read 10:04 am.

It was currently eleven o’clock at night. He doubted Keith was awake at this time.

“What if he isn’t awake?”

“He’ll see it in the morning.”

“You’re right, you’re right.”

 **KOGANE**  
**hey**

**u awake?**

_Yeah, what’s up?_

**i think i had a realization**

_Care to share?_

**i think**

**i have a crush**

**on a good friend of mine**

_Oh?_

_And you’re telling me..?_

**we are buddies**

**aren’t we kogane**

_I mean, yes?_

**ok**

**so i can come trusting a buddy right**

_Of course...?_

_So who is it?_

**its**

**allura** **  
** Read 11:03 pm.

 **yo?** **  
** Read 11:06 pm.

_Sorry just surprised_

_I’m going to go to bed_

_Goodnight Lance_

**oh**

**good night?**  
Read 11:07 pm.

Deleting the contact name and replacing it with ‘super-secret crush’, and being sure to delete the text where he mentioned Keith’s last name, Lance handed the phone over to Allura to study the messages. Anxiously, he flopped back on the couch. “I feel like he really just did not care.”

_He probably didn’t?_

“I don’t know about that,” Allura responded. “He seems... jealous!”

“It was only a few texts, it’s too hard to decipher. He did dismiss our conversation pretty quickly? He doesn’t usually just say he’s gonna go to bed. He’s the type who just kinda passes out by accident then will message back in the morning,” Lance explained before sighing, dropping back on the couch limply.

Allura dropped his phone back onto his thigh before grabbing his shin. “He is definitely jealous,” she reassured him. There was a pause before she proceeded to ask, “When will be the next time you see him?”

“School, Monday, first period,” he listed off. Draping a hand over his eyes, he sighed again and shook his head. “This was a bad idea.”

Guilt pooled in his chest. He wasn’t the type to lie to Keith, besides lying about crushing on him, so that was a different story. What if Keith liked him, even a bit, and he just ruined any chance he had?

“I have a feeling it wasn’t,” Allura spoke before tapping his shin a few times and retreating to her side of the couch. “Maybe he’ll make some dramatic confession and you’ll be thanking me!”

“Whatever, ‘Lura!” He opened his eyes again, turning to curl up on his side. The credits from their previous movie were still playing on the television. 

“I say we make another bowl of popcorn, turn the lights off, and watch Tangled,” Allura suddenly suggested.

“I really could use some Tangled right now...” He admitted defeatedly. With a roll of his eyes, he was being dragged off the couch by strong arms and pulled into the kitchen where Allura pushed him over to the counter to grab the popcorn.

“I feel like you only suggested more popcorn and Tangled to get me up because you can’t reach the popcorn,” he pointed out as he reached above to the tall cabinets where the popcorn packages sat on top.

Allura let out a snort from beside him. “And if I did, you’ll never know.”

They spent the next twenty minutes in the kitchen, making two more bags of popcorn before adding salt, butter, and m&m’s into them, per Allura’s request. They stood across from each other, bending over the counter as they added in the add-ons, speaking idly about more boy drama.

As they returned to the living room, Lance flicked the lights off while Allura opened the DvD cabinet to search for Tangled. Through the sudden shift in the room, the sheets on the couch moved, and there was a soft grumble before Rachel raised her head, a hand on her forehead. 

“What time is it?” She grumbled, rubbing at her eyes as Lance took his seat beside her again.

“Eleven-thirty maybe,” Allura replied as she popped the DvD disk open, plopping the disk into their xbox. “We’re watching Tangled now.”

Without missing a beat, Rachel’s eyes were open. “What serious drama did I miss if we’re watching Tangled?” She turned to Lance, looking down at his popcorn bowl with a frown.

“Boy drama,” he supplied, handing the bowl over to her tiredly. She smiled appreciatively, dropping an entire hand into the bowl.

“Nothing new, I see,” she commented through a mouthful of popcorn, eyes settling on watching Allura set the xbox back up to play the movie.

Simply humming in response, Lance got himself comfortable on his side to watch the TV. His heart was racing, his stomach feeling like he just got off a huge straight down drop roller coaster. All he could think about was Keith right now.

Despite that not being really anything new, this was different. He couldn’t stop thinking about all the possibilities that could arise from this fake crush thing. If Keith liked him, he would definitely back off now. And if he didn’t, he’d just be supportive, and that was weird for Lance to think about because why in the world would it be okay for his crush to tell him to chase after a girl he didn’t even like!

When the movie began and Allura and Rachel began talking again, he tried to busy himself in actually paying attention to the movie. He’d seen the movie at least fifty times by now, as it was a tradition to watch it after particularly difficult moments in the trio’s lives because who didn’t like Tangled? But despite the fact of seeing it so many times, he kept tentative attention, admiring the animation style and facial expressions.

They were a quarter way done with the movie when the rain began. It hit hard against the side of the house, grabbing their attention almost immediately.

The window closest to them had a half-closed shade, allowing them to see how heavily the rain hit the window, causing hundreds of raindrops to cascade down in seconds. Then, the thunder began, and shortly after, a few strikes of lightning.

“I didn’t know it was going to rain tonight,” Allura sighed. There was a pause, and suddenly Rachel was sitting up.

“Didn’t Marco say he was gonna take Sylvio and Nadia camping in the backyard tonight?” She questioned with urgency as she began to rip the blankets off of them.

Lance found himself sitting up in a second flat, remembering his conversation with his older brother a few hours ago about how nice it was out today and how it would be a perfect night for stargazing.

“Oh, he did!” He gasped, jumping off the couch just in time to avoid Rachel barreling him over. 

Allura was up too suddenly, the trio rushing through the living room, through the kitchen, through the back hallway and to the backdoor where all three of them pressed their heads up against the glass door, trying to make out if they could see anything outside.

Sure enough, when Rachel flicked the outside light on there was a small green tent set up just a few feet from the porch.

The three backed up, pulling open the door. The sudden smell of rain and fresh Earth hit them first before the sound of three people shrieking, the tent shaking.

It was hard to hold back laughter as Marco emerged from under the tent, soaking wet with two kids clinging to his arms. As the three ran to the porch, they looked at the others with wide owlish eyes.

“Rachel, open the door!” Marco screamed, the two little ones clinging to his side.

Without hesitation, Allura and Lance were backing up into the hallway and Rachel was swinging the door open. The two little ones ran in first, shivering with clattering teeth. 

“What the cheese!” The two shouted in unison, shaking the rainwater from their arms and legs.

Marco stepped in after them, shaking his head with disapproval as he looked over to Rachel. 

“I didn’t think it was supposed to rain?” He looked over to her with confusion.

Rachel shrugged in response. “I didn’t think so either!”

Looking down at his little niece and nephew, Lance sighed. “Let me grab you three towels,” he suggested, turning down the hall to the bathroom. He felt Allura brush up beside him, a small giggle leaving her.

“You have to admit,” she began, brushing her elbow against his side. “That was kind of funny!”

Lance had to muffle his own laugh, shaking his head and pushing her away as they walked to the bathroom. Grabbing three towels from their towel rack, he threw two at Allura, who grabbed them with ease as if she were expecting them.

When they returned back down the hall, Allura helped wrap the two in their towels to dry off while Lance threw Marco his.

“I’m surprised we didn’t wake Mami with all the commotion,” Rachel laughed, turning the outside light off.

“I am too,” Marco sighed, wrapping his towel around his shoulders. “Nadia and Sylvio, there should be some of your clean clothes in the laundry room, go change before anyone else wakes up.”

The two nodded, trudging down the hallway together with huffs. Lance noticed the small footprints their wet socks left as they walked. When the two were far enough out of sight and out of ear range, it was hard for everyone to hold their laughter.

“I’m sorry,” Lance found himself huffing, tapping at Marco’s shoulder. “Those two are going to be scarred for life now!”

“They’ll never let you take them camping again!” Rachel shook her head, the same bubbly laughter leaving Lance echoing from her.

“You’re right, but hey! It could have been worse! We could have been in the forest and-”

Before Marco could finish his statement, there was a small knock. Lance whipped his head around in an instant. The sound could have easily been brushed off as something from upstairs or the kids, but it sounded distinctly of the front door knocker. When Lance looked back at the others, he saw them all looking back at him with confusion. 

In a small motion, Allura raised a finger down the hall. _“Was that the front door?”_ She mouthed, looking back at Rachel and Marco who seemed to have the same thought.

There was a beat of silence before there were two more quiet knocks.

“Who could that be this late!” Rachel spoke in a loud whisper, moving past Lance and walking in slow tiptoes down the hallway. At the end of the hallway, he noticed Nadia and Sylvio’s heads poke out, looking to Rachel walking toward them before looking down to the front door.

Rachel made it to the kids first, ushering them back into the laundry room and mumbling something Lance couldn’t quite make out when there was another set of small knocks. 

Following after her, Lance tiptoed after her, Allura grabbing at his shoulder. “What if someone’s trying to break in?”

“Doubt that,” Marco was quick to reply. “Nothing ever happens here, you know that.”

The three made it to the laundry room, Lance peeked in, seeing Rachel smiling reassuringly to the kids as they picked out clothes from the laundry basket. Behind him, Marco tapped at Allura’s shoulder softly, motioning to Rachel.

“Go wait with Rachel and the kids, we’ll go see who’s at the door,” he insisted. When Lance turned around, Allura gave him a worried look before nodding, letting go of his shoulder and hustling into the laundry room with the kids who seemed a bit worried.

Marco followed Lance down to the front door. Without thinking, Lance rose to his tippy toes, peering through the glass of the door. When all he saw was a swirl of blackness and the faint outline of raindrops, he motioned for Marco to flick the light switch on beside him.

When the lights flickered on outside, Lance wasn’t sure what he was expecting.

But _this_ surely wasn’t it.

When the lights turned on, the figure standing at the door jumped, gloved hands covering their eyes for a moment.

Lance wasn’t sure how he felt when he recognized the biker jacket and gloves. 

Why the hell was _Keith Kogane_ at his front door in the middle of the rain at twelve something at night.

With confusion and almost anger filling his chest, Lance found himself unlocking the door, ignoring Marco’s questioning, and swinging the door open.

There was a beat of silence as Lance found himself eye-to-eye with Keith through the screen door.

The other was soaked in rainwater. The sleekness in his white and red biker jacket was clear enough evidence, but the way his black nightshirt clung to his chest helped prove the point. His hair was tied back, but his bangs clung to his forehead as rain trickled down the sides of his cheeks. Looking back to Keith’s eyes, he realized they were red-rimmed like he’d been crying.

Lance was flinging the screen door open in seconds.

“What the _hell_ are you doing, Mullet!” Lance found himself whisper-shouting as he grabbed the other inside. 

As the door shut behind him, Keith stood on the welcome mat in silence, looking over to Marco with an emotionless face before turning back to Lance.

“I- I, um... Came to see you,” Keith mumbled, eyebrows pinched together like he was confused by his own words. Hell, Lance was confused. Why did Keith find it urgent enough to come see him during a storm without even shooting him a text.

“Let me go grab you a towel,” Marco insisted before trudging back down the hallway, leaving the two to stand there, looking at each other with gaping mouths.

Lance’s heart was in his throat, or at least it felt like it was. He watched as Keith began to shake off his biker jacket, letting the rainwater pool at his feet. He watched in silence as Keith took the back of his hand and wiped the rainwater from his cheeks, all while keeping eye-contact with Lance.

Was this about the Allura comment he made earlier?

His stomach dropped suddenly and he averted his eyes to the hall, the same hall where Allura was hiding currently.

“Keith-” He turned, eyes meeting once again with Keith’s. Just like that, he felt like the air had been punched out of him. There was a certain softness in the other’s expression that left him in awe. Barely choking over his own words, he found himself staring at the other’s lips. “Why are you here...”

He was hesitant in his response, averting his gaze from Lance. “I really needed to talk to you,” he replied simply, hands fidgeting at his sides.

“It couldn’t have waited until tomorrow?” Lance sighed. “It’s storming out there, man! You could have gotten hurt! Did you walk, or did you take your bike” Lance tried his best not to sound mad. He was mad. He was very mad that Keith was like this- the type of person to just do something without thinking about its consequences.

“I walked,” Keith replied breathily.

Before Lance could say another word, Marco was turning the hallway light on, a fresh towel in his hand. Nadia and Sylvio followed after him, wearing newly dried clothes with big smiles, waving at Keith happily.

“Hi, Keith!” Sylvio exclaimed as Marco handed him a towel.

“Hey there buddy,” Keith smiled. It was forced. His eyes didn’t crease like they usually did when he saw the kids. It was just a small pull upward of his lips. “What’re you two doing up so late?”

Lance watched idly from the side as Keith interacted with the kids. He always had a soft spot for the two. Keith was good with kids; which wasn’t surprising because he was good at everything. Trying to hold his tongue of the many questions he held, Lance let Keith speak to Marco and the kids first.

“Dad tried to take us camping, but then it started raining,” Nadia replied. “Why’re you here all wet?”

Keith wrapped the towel around his shoulders with a small sigh. “I just had to talk to Lance really quick.”

Before the two could ask any more questions, Marco was grabbing the two before sending a confused look Lance’s way. It was Marco’s little way of asking what was happening. He could only simply shrug because he didn’t even know what was happening.

“C’mon you two, let’s head upstairs and get to bed before mom wakes up, say goodnight to Keith and Tio Lance.”

The two kids bid their goodbyes, giving both of them hugs before running up the stairs after their father.

As they did, two other figures appeared in the hallway.

And Lance felt his heart drop.

Rachel appeared first, turning to Lance first with a small smile before looking over to Keith with a quirked eyebrow. Behind her, Allura stepped out as well, flicking the light off as they headed toward them.

Lance turned his attention back to Keith, who now stared owlishly at the two.

_Oh god._

“Hey, Keith?” Rachel greeted with confusion. “What’re you doing here, is everything okay?”

Allura glanced at Keith before turning to look at Lance. They held eye contact for a moment before Allura was gasping, mouthing _,_ _“Him?”_

Lance refused to reply, but his attention was brought back to Keith when the other let out a defeated, _“Oh.”_

He turned to Lance again. “I didn’t- I didn’t know she was over,” he simply said in a whisper. His cheeks were tinted with red, eyebrows pulled down.

Suddenly, life just seemed like it was tipped upside down. 

Keith was turning toward the door in a swift motion, a small apology leaving his mouth. Without a second thought, Lance was rushing forward, grabbing and pulling a soaking wet Keith into his arms and tugging him from the door.

Because he knew Keith all too well. He knew Keith would run when a situation became too much for him.

_This was definitely about Allura._

“Hey, you’re not leaving,” Lance gruffed, holding onto Keith’s shoulders with a certain urgency and strength he didn’t know he had. “We need to talk. Now.”

Looking over the other’s shoulder, he saw Rachel and Allura’s twin expressions of confusion. “Go back to watching the movie, we’ll be down in a little bit,” he spoke as he slowly let go of Keith’s shoulders. The two looked at one another for a moment before nodding and walking back to the living room.

“I’m sorry,” Keith didn’t hesitate to start. “If I had known she was here right now- I wouldn’t have- ruined.. whatever..”

“Stop.” Lance’s voice was stern, and it had Keith flinching and turning his head upward in a moment flat. “Let me explain myself before you start whatever you’re saying.”

The other’s shoulders tightened, his stance becoming stiffer.

“Let’s go up to my room, I’ll let you get a change of clothes too,” Lance suggested before motioning to the stairs.

The next few movements were a blur.

Lance’s heart thrashed steadily against his chest as Keith trudged up the stairs in front of him without another word. He followed after him closely. 

Keith had been to his house so many times he probably knew his home better than his own. So, as Keith maneuvered himself down the hall and to Lance’s room, there was not another word exchanged.

When they made it to his room, Lance flicked the small lamp on his dresser and closed the door behind him. The lamp gave little to no light, but it worked.

Keith stood stiffly in the middle of the room as Lance scavenged through his drawers in search of a shirt and sweatpants for Keith to wear.

It wasn’t the first time they’d shared clothes before. It was pretty normal when they stayed over each other's homes to just swap clothes. It was easy, seeing as they were almost the same size.

But Lance knew Keith was a bit more muscular than he was, and for that reason, he pulled out a shirt that was much larger on him than the rest. He also knew that Keith’s legs were a bit shorter than his, and pulled out a pair of sweatpants he remembered wearing in freshman year.

When he turned around, he offered them to Keith with a small smile.

“You didn’t have to,” Keith spoke as he stared at them, bringing them lightly in his arms.

“I’d rather you not lounge in my house wet,” Lance sighed. “And I don’t want you catching a cold. You can put your clothes in my laundry basket.”

There was a beat of silence as Lance walked toward his bed and sat on the edge of it with his back toward Keith.

This wasn’t anything new for the two, but still, Lance felt a wave of uneasiness overflow him as he stared at the half-shaded window in front of him.

He heard the shuffle of clothes and a small grunt from Keith as he got his wet sweatpants off. He disregarded the wet pair into the hamper and pulled on the new pair before removing his shirt.

Staring quietly at the window, Lance found he could make out Keith’s form in it. He was almost mesmerized as he watched the other’s shadow pull the wet shirt that clung to him off, pausing for a moment before disregarding it as well.

Swallowing thickly, Lance looked down to his feet. He’d seen Keith shirtless before, so why was he being all weird about it now?

Clearing his throat, Lance lifted his head again. “Allura is the friend Rachel has over all the time,” he began, feeling it was a bit necessary.

There was a moment of silence where Lance thought to himself, right now was when he was going to come clean about his years worth of a crush, wasn’t it?

“You spend a lot of time with her then, don’t you?” Keith’s voice was steady behind him.

“Yeah,” he replied breathily. “But, it’s not-”

“I know this is really bad timing,” Keith cut him off. Out of the side of his vision, he saw Keith shuffle up beside him. Turning his head, Lance let himself take a look over of Keith.

The other looked comfy in his clothes. A sight Lance would never get old of.

“I need to tell you something,” Keith whispered, standing in front of Lance stiffly.

There was a pounding in Lance’s chest that let him feel jittery.

Was there even the slightest chance Allura was right, and Keith actually liked him?

Is that what was happening?

“Lance,” Keith sighed, hands moving to cover his face.

_“I’m gay.”_

Lance stopped breathing as he stared at his best friend in awe.

The other lowered his hands slowly, still stiff and awkward in front of him.

“I’m sorry,” Keith began, eyebrows drew down and hands folded into fists at his sides.

“Why would you be sorry?” Lance let out a small laugh, just a huff of a breath. He felt the pull of his lips as he found himself looking into the other’s eyes again. “You know I would never see you differently, right? Hell, I’m bisexual, so of course, it doesn’t matter-”

“I like you, _Lance Mc’Clain._ ”

Keith spoke so smoothly and so boldly that it took everything out of Lance in that very moment. He felt his whole body radiate with adrenaline as he processed the words carefully in the back of his head, his smile dropping into an open gape.

“I like you so much, I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Keith spoke just above a whisper, his hands resting behind his neck as he stared at the wall behind Lance.

Lance felt frozen- suspended in time as he watched the other unravel in front of him.

The _Keith Kogane_ liked _him_.

 _Keith_ liked _him-_

_Keith liked him._

The thought settled hard in his chest, a shaky breath finally leaving him.

“Lance, I’m so sorry.” Keith shook his head, hands tangling in his hair as he turned his back to him. “It was so stupid of me- to just... Just come running here! Like I could make you change your mind!”

Everything froze in that very moment as Keith turned back around.

Tears trickled slowly down his cheeks, the light from his lamp reflecting off them. His dark blue eyes glistened over in seconds as more tears began to barrel out of eyes.

In the years he had known Keith, he couldn’t recall a time he’d seen him cry.

And now, here he was, sitting in front of Keith as he cried.

About _HIM_.

“I’m so bad with my words.” All the smoothness left his voice as it cracked and he turned to face the wall. “I’ve liked you for so long, Lance... And I took it for granted because I really never thought about you liking someone else,” he gasped, hands flying to his cheeks as he scrubbed at them hard to stop the tears.

“When I saw your text earlier... I didn’t- I didn’t even know what to think. It took me so long to get out of bed- and I- I just started running. I knew I had to tell you- because I.. I couldn’t just not tell you?”

There was another pause, and Lance felt himself shaking, hundreds of words laid on the tip of his tongue but his throat was so tight nothing escaped.

“Lance,” Keith breathed out, wobbly and tiredly.

_“I love you.”_

  
  


Keith Kogane was a lot of things.

First of all, Keith was impulsive. Sometimes, he did things without a second thought. He did what was right in his eyes because he ran off pure emotion whether or not he confirmed it or not. Keith felt _too_ much emotion, and it left him vulnerable in so many ways.

Lance could list many times when Keith did something impulsive. Like when they were in eight grade, and someone had snapped Lance’s glasses out of spite during an argument, Keith was on the kid's ass like lightning and didn’t even hesitate to land a punch on the kid’s jaw.

That was a week's suspension.

_“Don’t you ever touch him again, you hear me!”_

Second of all, Keith was emotional, and for that reason, he built up walls. He’d gotten hurt, many, many, _many_ times in his childhood. He had gotten disappointed hundreds of times. He learned that putting walls up saved him the heartbreak.

Lance remembered one of the few times he realized just how much of a soft side Keith had. Lance had gotten into a small car crash about a year and a half ago. He had texted Keith after he made sure everyone in the car was ok. It was just a few months when Lance had gotten off his JOL an aggressive driver ran a red light and hit him and his siblings.

Keith showed up on the side of the road not even twenty minutes later helping the Mc’Clains into his own truck, holding Lance tightly as he tried to reassure the other he was definitely ok and not injured.

_“Don’t you ever scare me like that again, Lance.”_

Third of all, and most of all, Keith was loving and compassionate, and he didn’t know how to say it.

At this moment, Lance witnessed all that Keith was flashing before his eyes.

“I love you so much, Lance Mc’Clain- and, and I get I was a bit late here- but... but I-”

“I lied.” Lance found himself able to speak again. Slowly, he stood from the corner of his bed, his legs weak. “I lied about liking Allura.”

With a sudden flurry of emotions, Keith was backing away with confusion. “What do you mean- why did you lie about that?”

“I.. I wanted to see your reaction,” he responded, walking toward the other slowly and carefully.

Confusion muddling his face, Keith rose his balled up hands. “Why- why would you want to see my reaction?”

The other stopped backing up when his back hit Lance’s dresser. He flinched, turning around to see what he’d hit before whipping back around, eyes still glistening as he stared at Lance in disbelief and confusion.

“I’m sorry,” Lance breathed. “I shouldn’t have...”

The two didn’t speak as Lance stopped in front of Keith. In a slow-motion, he raised a hand to Keith’s warm flushed cheek. The other stiffened, eyes trailing down Lance’s arm to peer at the fingers pressed against him.

Lance decided at that moment, that yes, Keith was a lot of things.

Keith was impulsive.

He was strong and fearless.

But he was scared, and he had his walls built up around every single emotion he felt.

But, there was one last thing Lance forgot he was.

Keith, without a doubt, was _the love of his life_.

_And that was terrifying._

“I like you too, Kogane,” Lance whispered, eyes flickering from dark half-lidded eyes to plump lips. “Actually, I love you too... If you’re okay with that, that is...”

Warmth engulfed his own cheeks at that as two warm hands grabbed his face tenderly.

“Can I kiss you?” The words were whispered. They were like the wind, whistling in his ears for just a moment before passing. Lance could have sworn he had misheard the words. His brain must have been playing a trick on him. 

“What?” He found himself leaning in closer to hear his response, hoping he heard right.

“I said,” Keith paused, clearing his throat. “Can I kiss you?” This time, he spoke above a whisper in the smooth calm tone he always had. 

Lance clenched his jaw, eyes flickering from Keith’s lips to his eyes. His eyebrows were drawn down tightly as if thinking, lips still parted. He leaned in a bit closer now. A million thoughts were rushing through his head. His cheeks flushed with warmth, hands clenching in on themselves. 

Keith sent him an uneasy smile. He pulled his bottom lip in slightly, biting down on it. A shaky breath escaped Lance as he shifted, not once breaking eye contact. 

Butterflies were soaring in his stomach. His eyes were staring down at Keith’s lips again. They were still parted, a slither of white shining teeth poking out. 

“Yes.” His voice was quiet and rough, just loud enough for Keith to make out. The response escaping his mouth startled himself. 

Warm fingers traced his cheekbones up and down, causing Lance to shudder at the touch. A shallow breath escaped Keith, the warmth hitting again Lance’s upper lip. 

Lance tilted his head slightly, his eyes half-lidded. Keith stared intently into his eyes, waiting. At this moment, he knew, everything was about to change. 

A chaste second lasting kiss was planting onto his lips. Just the slide of warm lips locking together before flinching away. Keith almost looked startled. His cheeks were rosy, skin flushed much like it had been since he got here, but just a hint more noticeable. 

His dark blue-grey eyes focused solely on Lance’s lips, glinting with mischief. It was a face he pulled all too familiarly that gave him the chills. The way his eyes crinkled at the sides, eyebrows dipping down, lips curling into a smile. It was a face he’d pull right before he did something utterly stupid without thinking. He went surging forward again, this time his lips pressing harder against his. 

He didn’t pull away immediately, this time allowing their lips to lock perfectly, tilting his head just slightly into the kiss. The only way Lance could explain the kiss was that it was somewhere between needy and demanding. Keith kept his right hand cupping the side of his face, the other falling slowly down his chest. When they broke away to breathe, Lance felt his heart speed up. 

He found himself stepping back, Keith looking at him with a tender smile that made his heart skip a beat, literally.

He found Keith stepping forward after him, the breath of a laugh hitting against his cheek. “I guess my impulsive ways got me somewhere for once...”

“Hey! I would have said something, eventually!” Lance rebutted, hands dropping down Keith’s chest.

With a raised eyebrow, he laughed again. “When? After you let me believe you actually liked Allura for a while and realize I might not say anything about it?”

There was a pause.

“Oh my God, Lance, that was your plan, wasn’t it?”

“Actually, it was Allura’s, but yeah-”

Suddenly, Keith was rushing forward, and Lance felt his steps falter. In a second flat, he landed harshly onto the edge of his bed, Keith crashing onto him. His back slammed against the soft mattress, hands dipping and grabbing at Keith’s side.

Keith was looking at him like his life depended on it. The way his eyes softened, fluttering shut, smile never leaving made Lance’s stomach flutter with a familiar feeling of butterflies. And again, they were kissing. Lips meeting halfway for mere seconds before pulling away, only to chase after each other again. 

Lance now had an answer as to why people seemed so addicted to kissing. Why couples walking the streets would always kiss the other with such a love-stricken expression. What he felt was insane. He felt like he was falling from cloud nine and running at full speed at the same time. He felt helpless sinking into his system as he kissed back softly, just leaning in a little more when Keith retreated back for air- and then he was kissing back with an intensity that made him cling to the other more, hold his sides firmer like he was the only solid thing in a swaying world. 

Giddiness spun in him as Keith pushed himself against him, pinning him against the sheets. And for a moment, Lance understood why all those writers in books described kissing as melting. Every square inch of him that Keith was touching fell hopelessly numb. 

Keith’s hands trailed from his chest to his hair, softly combing his fingers through the ends before gripping at him hopelessly, pulling him closer with a fierceness that sent Lance surging forward, their teeth clanking together in the end. 

When they pulled away, this time pausing, Keith inhaled sharply. “You have no idea how happy I am right now,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m pretty sure I have an idea,” Lance sighed, sitting himself up on his elbows. Keith sat quietly on his lap, hands pressed against his chest.

“How long?” Keith questioned in a whisper. “How long have you liked me?

“Long enough,” Lance groaned. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for like, years actually,” he confessed, and in response, Keith shook his head, clambering off his lap and sitting beside him on the bed.

“When we were twelve, I was the goalie when we were playing soccer one time,” he began, laying flatly on the bed with his hands on his chest. “You came running up with the ball, and you kicked so confidently it took my breath away- in more ways than one because the ball actually hit me in the chest,” he laughed, and it was hard for Lance to not remember the moment. “You came running over and helped me sit up and gave me like hundred different apologies. And at that moment, I was like, wow, him? Yeah, I like him.”

Keith turned, still laying on the bed with a smile.

“I’m so glad it was you, Lance.”

“I’m glad it was too, Kogane.”

**Author's Note:**

> not rlly sure what to say  
> but uh  
> I hope you guys enjoy uwu


End file.
